Winter Appalachian Trail – Day 61 (15 miles)

I woke up to a nice, wet sleeping bag yet again. I packed up and got going, with the first few miles finishing crossings the massive farmland valley that I began yesterday.

This valley was rather muddy yesterday, but the freeze overnight hardened the muck up a bit and let me walk on top of it rather than pushing through. I think this is a great improvement.

I was then confronted with the first hill in 15 miles. It was a moderately steep climb up to the ridge in order to plunge straight down into the next valley.

Like the last valley, this one was farmland. But unlike the last valley, this one was short at 2-3 miles and very close to a bog. I gave up in trying to keep my shoes dry and plowed through the mud.

After an hour I arrived at the second climb of the day. From here on there was a decent amount of snow on the ground for me to play in. As I moved along the ridge towards Duncannon, the wind picked up first and then the rain started.

The ridge and therefore the snow did not last long however, and before I knew it I was descending into town. It was bloody steep and covered in ice. I started to head down and then thought better and strapped my traction cleats on before I continued down.

At the bottom I met Sandy, a local that knew of my hike and offered a bed and a warm meal. Just as I got to her car the drizzle turned to rain. What perfect timing!

I got to her place, had an awesome fish salad for lunch before relaxing on the couch for the rest of the day.